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HOUSE OF AUSTIN CANONS of the Order of the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem

59. THE PRIORY OF NORTH FERRIBY

According to Tanner, and others who have
followed him, the house of North Ferriby Was
founded as a preceptory of Knights Templars,
and after the suppression of the Templars became
an ordinary priory of canons of the order of St.
Augustine, and so continued till the suppression
of the lesser monasteries. (fn. 1) Torre's statement (fn. 2) is
as follows: ' North Ferriby. Priory of St. Marie's.
The house or priory of N. Ferriby was founded
by William de Vescy. At first for three brethren
of the Order of the Temple of St. John Jerusalem in England, to which number he added
five more, which completed eight brethren for
the future, when he gave them the church of N.
Ferriby to be appropriated to them. The common seal of the, priory of North Ferriby was thus,
when William, prior, and brethren thereof,
granted to Robt. Robelott a certain toft in
Austelmerly and an acre in Elveley.' Then
follows a rude sketch of a seal, similar to that
figured in The Temple Church (Bell's Cathedral
Ser.), 62, but with no legend. In reality these
canons were in no way connected with the
Knights Templars. There were at Jerusalem
two ' Temples.' The one, called the Temple
of Solomon, was a palace, and from it the
Knights Templars derived their name. The
other, the Temple of the Lord, was a church
served by a community of Austin canons under
an abbot; it was to this abbey that North
Ferriby was a cell. (fn. 3)

Archbishop Giffard wrote, on 25 September
1270, (fn. 4) to the rector of Kirk Ella, and the bailiff
of Beverley, that he had heard that the Prior of
Ferriby, of the order of the Temple of the Lord,
proposed to go to foreign parts by direction of his
abbot, and meant to sell the corn and stock or
the house, and to take away two-thirds for the
cost of his journey, leaving only one-third for the
sustenance of the brethren at home. If this were
done the property of the house would be wholly
insufficient for maintaining the brethren and
guests, for which it was specially assigned. The
commissioners were ordered to admonish the
prior either to abandon the project and look
elsewhere for the expenses of his journey, or to
take a less sum, as they might appoint, in order
that the archbishop might not have to put a stop
to his journey, or the brothers be driven to beg
in a manner not seemly. The commissioners
were also to enjoin the brethren to take good
care of their business matters and property, and
not to consent to the prior's proposal. If the prior
or the brethren disregarded the admonition, compulsion was to be used by suspension or excommunication.

In March 1271-2 (fn. 5) Brother Walter de Sancto
Eadmundo, claiming to be (qui se dicit) Prior of
Ferriby, complained that the archbishop's official
had issued certain mandates in which it was implied that he was an intruder and an ungodly
person. The archbishop desired the Dean of
York, in his stead, to hear the complaint, and to
decide what ought to be done.

Archbishop Melton sent on 29 September
1334 (fn. 6) a monition to the Prior and brothers
of the house of the Temple of the Lord of
Ferriby, of his intention to visit the house on 14
May following, but there does not appear to be
any record of the visitation itself. Fifteen years
later there is evidence of the presence of the
Black Death. (fn. 7) The sickness itself is not alluded,
to, but there can be little doubt that it accounts
for the fact that on 24 July 1349 Brother John
de Beverley was elected prior, in succession to
Walter de Hesill, deceased, and that the very
next entry in the register records the election
of John de Preston as prior on 3 August following, in succession to Brother John de Beverley,
deceased—an interval of ten days only between
the elections.

On 27 August 1372 (fn. 8) Archbishop Thoresby
confirmed a provision made by John, the prior,
and the convent, for their late prior John de
Hedon. First of all he was to sit in fronte chori,
in the second stall after the prior, on that side,
when he wished to attend, but he was excused
from all keeping of quire, and also of chapter,
unless summoned for the business of the house,
and the good of his soul, according to the discipline of the rule. He was to have a general
licence for going in and out of the priory and its
precincts. He was to have a competent and
honest chamber within the priory, cum oratorio,
chiminio, et privato, to be kept up at the cost of
the house; If he were ill, or became blind, he
was to have a canon to minister to him, ' tarn in
missis quam aliis horis divinis.' He was to have
three loaves daily, two of them de meliori pascu
and the third de secundarie. He was also to have
a lagena and a half of the better ale of the house,
together with full secondary messes from the
kitchen after the prior, both at noon (ad nonam)
and at supper, such as two canons received, in
the hall or refectory. He was to have a servant
at his choice, assigned him by the prior, at the
charges of the house. He was also to have five
marks of silver yearly, for his clothing, and
further he was to have every year 4,000 turves
from the moor of Inclemore for fuel.

On 18 July 1396 (fn. 10) Pope Boniface IX conferred on John de Thornton, priest, ' Augustinian canon of the priory of Ferriby of the order
of the brethren of the Temple,' the dignity of
papal chaplain. Five years later, on 13 February
1401, (fn. 11) the same pope granted a dispensation to
'John Marton, canon of the priory of North
Ferriby, of the Order of the Temple of our Lord
of Jerusalem, under the rule of St. Augustine,' (fn. 12)
who made his profession in North Ferriby and
was in priest's orders, to hold any offices, &c.,
even principal, of his order.

The property of the priory seems to have
consisted of lands in the immediate neighbourhood, (fn. 13) but nothing of importance except the
church of North Ferriby, which was appropriated
to the priory, one of the canons being usually
appointed to the vicarage. In 1526 (fn. 14) the
clear annual value of the priory was returned as
£48 1s. 7d. According to the Valor Ecclesiasticus(fn. 15) the total annual revenues amounted to
£95 11s. 7½d., the reprises to £35 10s. 5½d.,
leaving a clear annual value of £60 1s 2d.

Just at the end of its history there was a very
quick changing about of priors, suggesting an
endeavour to secure as much in the way of pensions as possible. On 5 June 1532 (fn. 16) a commission was issued to confirm the election of
Brother John Bawdewynne, late vicar of Ferriby,
who had been elected prior vice Thomas Burgh,
resigned. On 20 June (fn. 17) Thomas Burgh, the
ex-prior, was instituted to the vicarage of Ferriby.
On 24 September 1534 (fn. 18) John Bawdewynne
had resigned, and Brother Thomas Androwe,
canon of the house, was elected. All three were
living at the suppression, John Bawdewynne
having changed places with Thomas Androwe
and become prior for the second time as late as
7 June 1535, (fn. 19) when Androwe was assigned a
yearly pension (fn. 20) of £3 6s. 8d., together with
victuals for himself and a servant, quondam parluram vocatam Mr Riddleston parlor with a chamber constructed over it, and a certain chamber
contigua valvis de Ferribie, and every winter unum
le chawdrey of coals, and pasturage and hay for
two horses, &c.

John Bawdewynne secured a pension in 1534
of £5 6s. 8d.t &c. Thomas Burgh had also
secured one dated 22 June 1532, which was
commuted at the Dissolution for an annual sum
of £7 6s.

The house was visited on 24 May 1536 and
suppressed on 13 August following; (fn. 21) there were
six canons and thirty-four servants and other
boys.

41. York Archiepis. Reg. Rotherham, i, 154. On 27 Mar. 1449 Archbishop Kemp had issued a
commission to Magr. Robert Dobbis to receive the resignation of the Prior of Ferriby (ibid. Kemp, fol. 133), but there is no record of the election which must have followed.

52. Ibid. fol. 28b. Dugdale (Mon. Angl. vi, 590) gives 6 June 1532 as the date of John Bawdewynne's confirmation as prior for the first time. If this is correct, he and John Howlme, whose name as prior occurs on 3 July 1532, would seem to have been one and the same person.